An app that sends messages for you when you tell it to; an app that uses your voice to schedule meetings and place phone calls; an app that knows what you say, understands what you mean, and even talks back; sounds like an app straight out of a sci-fi movie, doesn’t it? Well, believe it or not but there actually IS an app just like this (yes, it does everything we’ve mentioned above!)! Known as Siri, this app is available on iPhone 4S and does so much for you that you’ll have a hard time keeping yourself from saying “wow” out loud every time you use it. So, here are some amazing things that you can expect Siri to do for you:

• It understands what you say: Ever wondered how it would be like to have a conversation with your iPhone? Well, it’s possible now! With Siri, you can talk as you would to a person and make it do things for you by giving it voice commands. Just say something like “Tell my wife I’m running late.” “Remind me to call the vet.” or “Any good burger joints around here?”  and Siri does what you say or finds the information you need. When it’s done doing what you’ve told it to do, it even answers you back!
• It knows what you mean: Since Siri understands what you say, there’s no doubt it has intelligence. But here’s the kicker; it could have knowledge too! Why, you ask? Because it knows what you mean! It knows what you’re talking about and looks up info to find what you are looking for. Siri is proactive, so you can expect it to keep questioning you until it finds what you’re looking for.
• It helps you do the things you do every day: Whether you want to text your dad or call the dentist, set a reminder or find directions, you can always ask Siri to help you. Siri figures out which apps to use and who you’re talking about, so all you have to do is talk. On getting your command, it finds answers for you from the web through sources like Yelp and WolframAlpha and it uses Location Services to look up where you live, where you work, and where you are. You are then given the information and the best options based on your current location. It even knows your friends, family, boss, and coworkers from the details in your contacts!
• It has so much to tell you: Siri uses all the built-in apps on iPhone 4S. It writes and sends email messages and texts, it searches the web for anything you need to know, it plays the songs you want to hear and it gives you directions. And what’s more? It even places calls, schedules meetings, helps you remember, and wakes you up. As if this weren’t enough, it speaks for itself too!

Siri does so much for you and all you need to do is use your voice! Really, there could have been no better catchphrase for Siri than the one it has now: “Your wish is its command”.

Oh! Wait! iPhone takes dictation too which means there’s one more excuse for you to use your voice instead of your fingers. Whether you want to write messages, take notes, or search the web (or do much more), all you need to do is tap the microphone icon on the keyboard instead of typing and say what you want to say as iPhone listens. Tap Done, and the words you just said will be converted into text!  Dictation also works with third-party apps, so you can update your Facebook status, tweet, or write and send Instagrams. Could it get any easier than this?

Looking for the best Markham computer support?  Try asking Siri this.  I bet you are told to check out Idealogical.

In case you’ve been longing to see where Canada would stand if one were to rank countries based on how fast the internet is, you are in luck. Pando Networks has ranked 224 countries based on just that and it turns out that the country lies somewhere in the middle of the list with the speed of a pedestrian i.e., 579KBps. Our southern neighbors seem to have it better, with an average of 616KBps, although they do have one ISP (Verizon) that averages significantly higher at 1,056KBps.

At the top of the list is Korea with 2,202KBps which is nearly 4 times faster than the internet speed we have in Canada. Eastern European nations such as Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine follow Korea in the list.

Countries like Congo and Central African Republic have speeds marginally faster than dial up modems (13KBps and 14KBps respectively) making the situation look way better in Canada but it’s a shameful matter nonetheless. And it looks like we have countries like Australia (at 348KBps) and China (245KBps) to keep us company.

City ratings have also been included in the study. Residents of North Vancouver are in the fast lane, at 864KBps, Toronto is somewhat slow with 500KBps and Regina reminds us of a turtle with 350KBps. All in all Canada is in the slow lane on the superhighway of information.

Need help getting the most of your IT systems in Markham.  Speak to your Markham IT Support team today at Idealogical.  We are here to support you.

The iOS 5 mobile operating system (for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices) is finally here. Apple has, right on time, released the software update that promises 200 added features, some of which we’re going to discuss here. But before we do that, let us tell you that this is an x.0 release meaning there could be bugs in there and unless you’re sure you don’t want to go back (you won’t be able to go back to an earlier OS), we suggest that you wait for a few days and see how things turn out. Another point to keep in mind or rather, to have in mind is your password to iTunes. If the iTunes backup of your device is encrypted, it’s necessary that you have the password to recover your device after loading iOS 5. Well, that’s that.

So, all set to go? Then here we go:

Notification Center: If you’ve used iOS previously (you probably have), you must remember how annoying the modal notification system was. It just popped up a single message on your screen that you couldn’t do anything about and could not access ever again. But it looks like the folks at Apple have been hearing us complain; with iOS 5, you’ll now have a place for all those messages and it’s called Notification Center. Easily accessible with a single swipe from the top of your screen, Notification Center isn’t the only notification-related changes you’ll see in iOS 5. You’ll be able to see new notifications appear briefly at the top of the screen and view notifications from lock screen. You may also slide the notifications app icon to the right on the lock screen to go directly to the app.

iMessage: This feature, which works over mobile networks and Wi-Fi, lets you send and receive unlimited text, video and photo messages with other iOS 5 users (without a text plan!). Plus, it tracks messages with delivery and read receipts and also boasts of group messaging and secure encryption.

Newsstand: This one’s just like iBooks but it isn’t your ordinary iBooks. It automatically organizes magazines and newspaper subscriptions on Home Screen, displays the cover of the latest issues and has background downloads of new issues.

Twitter integration, iCloud, WiFi Sync, PC Free, Photo Improvements and much more: Forget about a third party Twitter-client, Twitter is now directly integrated into iOS. And then there’s the iCloud integration in iOS 5 too! With iCloud, you get 5GB of storage space for free AND a backup of everything you’ve bought from iTunes store safely.

Plus, you can also sync your iOS 5 device with a PC or Mac over a WiFi connection every time it connects to a power source. And what’s more? With PC Free, you can activate new iOS devices and download new updates without having to connect to a Mac or PC. As if this weren’t enough, there are photo improvements with added crop and rotate, red-eye removal, one-tap enhance and ability to organize photos in the album. There are lots of other improvements like Main improvements, Calendar improvements, Game Center Improvements and much more.

The iOS 5 is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch 3rd generation, iPod touch 4th generation, iPad and iPad 2. If you’ve got any of these, go grab the iOS 5 today!

What Does Thanksgiving Mean To a Canadian

Monday, October 10, 2011, is observed by people all over the United States as Columbus Day. But, did you know that the 2nd Monday of every year in October is Thanksgiving Day in Canada?

There are only 4 places that recognize Thanksgiving — Canada, the United States, Liberia and Norfolk Island. So how did Canada come to recognize Thanksgiving Day? The very first Canadian recognition of Thanksgiving comes from the explorer, Martin Frobisher, the adventuresome English seaman who tried three separate voyages to the New World to discover the Northwest Passage. Each voyage ended up in northeastern Canada, right where today’s Resolution Island and Frobisher Bay are located.

On an unsuccessful trip to find the Passage, he returned home to Newfoundland. His gratitude for a safe journey and surviving the perils of his exploration led him to have a formal ceremony in 1578 to give thanks. However, the actual holiday of Canadian Thanksgiving can be attributed to the French settlers that traveled with Samuel de Champlain very early in the 17th century. The reason for celebrating was to give thanks for successful harvests.

Jour de l’Action de grâce (Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day) is celebrated fervishly by the Canadians as a continuance of giving thanks for a successful harvest at the end of the harvest season. While the Parliament initially references God and the churches celebrate the holiday, this day is usually celebrated in a more secular manner with all provinces in Canada, except Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) taking this day to recognize the true meaning of the day and to celebrate.

So what does Thanksgiving mean to a Canadian? Here are some of the reasons that I was able to pull out of a hat (or off the Internet):

• Elegant dinners with turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie (oh, darn, my mouth is watering with the thoughts of such a bountiful meal)
• Time to spend with family
• CFL FOOTBALL!
• It’s not too cold — yet.
• Time to break out the spirits — fruit brandy (also known as eau-de-vie or schnapps), gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and whisky.
• Freedom of religion, of speech, of association and the right to travel
• Thankful to be alive
• Thankful for a successful business

So what does Thanksgiving mean to you as a Canadian? Feel free to let us know. We’d love to hear about it.

Guest Blogger – Pam Lokker

Steven Paul Jobs, the computer tycoon of the computer industry is no longer with us, but his memory will last forever in the hearts and minds of Mac users, iPhone users, iPad users, and much more.

Steve Jobs was both a computer inventor and entrepreneur. Born in 1955 in San Francisco, California, his driving purpose was to develop products that were both functional and elegant; and he did just that which earned him the respect and honor of computer users everywhere.

It was just recently here in August of this year that Steve announced that he was resigning as CEO of Apple due to not being able to carry out his normal duties due to the ravages of pancreatic cancer. He also announced at that same time that he would remain as chairman of the board.

October 5, 2011, will long be remembered as a sad day. The family announced that Steve Jobs passed away peacefully in his sleep. As you go to Apple today, you will be met with a black and white picture of Steve in one of his contemplative poses that only he could do so well, along with his name and the years of both his birth and death. As you click on the photo, you are greeted with a moving obituary.

As you read Bill Gates’ statement on The Gates Notes, you come to realize how much Steve Jobs meant to fans, colleagues, competitors, and just anyone he came into contact with. “The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. “For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor.  I will miss Steve immensely.” – Bill Gates

We couldn’t agree more Mr. Gates. His effects will carry on for many, many years. We are very honored to have been graced with the incredible knowledge that he possessed. We are also very lucky to have been the recipients of the wonderful technological gadgets that he passed our way.

Rest peacefully, Steve Jobs; and thank you.

—–

Pam Lokker is a skillful writer and proficient virtual assistant. Borlok Virtual Assistants is the place to get global expert VA services with quality and on-time delivery.

We’ve got some exciting news for Hotmail users. The thing is, Microsoft is planning a Hotmail press event in October to which it has invited New York and San Francisco press and analysts and we have a hunch that the event is going to be all about the introduction of a new version of Microsoft’s Web-based e-mail service. And maybe it’ll be HTML5-based too – one that will offer offline access!

The invitation to the October 3 event involving Hotmail doesn’t say much. It just reads, ““We listened. We learned. We reinvented Hotmail from the ground up. From performance to spam to security and more, we’re going to challenge your perceptions and show how we stack up against the competition.” But would you look at the timing? The test builds of Windows 8 optimized for tablets are ready to be rolled out and both Samsung and ASUS have been promoting their new Windows 7 tablets! And Microsoft is expected to provide Build attendees with a tablet of some sort – Intel-based, we’ve heard – running the Windows 8 bits.

We’ve also heard that Microsoft is preparing an all new version of Bing that is going to be HTML5 based. Similar to the Bing iPad application in terms of looks, this app will probably show the true power of HTML5. Hotmail is yet another app that that can do that, especially if it’s teamed up with an updated SkyDrive cloud-storage service and more storage than the currently offered 25GB.

Although Microsoft has spoken a bit more about the event after it sent out the invitations (it sent out the invitations the day after the company experienced a massive, three-hour Hotmail and SkyDrive outage and a simultaneous Office 365 outage which Microsoft officials were attributing to a DNS issue), it has done little to convince us that this has nothing to do with the revamped Hotmail. A spokesperson said: “This event is not considered a launch of a reinvented Hotmail. The event will include an intimate, honest discussion and new data linked to the reinvention that took place last year (plus updates since then), based on a lot of learning. You’ll also hear about intriguing competitive perspectives and some additional news.” Now, we wonder if Microsoft would hold a press event this big just to share a bit of “additional news”.

Looks like we’ll just have to wait for the 3rd of October and see what it brings along.

In Toronto, Kin-Mei Seong leads advisors in guiding business-minded students.

Kin-Mei Seong has volunteered for five years with the organization Junior Achievement to help student entrepreneurs in Toronto, Canada, start small businesses.

For five years, Kin-Mei Seong, a sales management advisor for IBM in Toronto, Canada, has coached young students in running their own businesses—real businesses that serve market needs and generate revenue.

“For the most part, there’s no formal training at the secondary school level in financial literacy, or entrepreneurship,” says Kin-Mei. “Junior Achievement’s ‘Company Program—A Student Venture’ gives students the experience of launching an actual start-up company. These are learning experiences that students don’t get in a classroom.”

The program, also known as the Company Venture Program, is offered by Junior Achievement (JA), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering work-readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy in young people.

Starting a business, not staring at a whiteboard

Kin-Mei started as a volunteer with JA after getting an email from another IBM volunteer looking for some help. “I started with JA participating in running a different program involving presentations for younger students, emphasizing the range of possibilities if they stay in school,” says Kin-Mei. “When I learned about the Venture Program, it was the perfect fit for me since it combined my business background with my love of volunteering—plus the sessions with the students are held here at IBM, so no travel required.”

The Venture Program runs for most of the school year, beginning in October and ending in May with an awards banquet to honor the student leaders and award recognition such as “Best Business Plan” and “Company of the Year” in Canada.

Individual companies are made up of five to seven students who become executives in their start-up venture, collaborating on everything a small business would consider—product selection, audience segmentation, marketing strategy, profit margin, staff positions, sales strategy.

Adult volunteers act as advisors offering guidance from their own business experiences. However, Kin-Mei points out that “students thinking they’re coming to stare at a whiteboard quickly learn everything is in their hands—it’s their business.” She recalls some creative and socially responsible products from her teams including a necessities kits with items such as a toothbrush and toothpaste, which could be purchased as a donation for those in need.

Kin-Mei is now the lead IBM advisor for the Venture Program, and every year recruits ten to twelve other volunteers to be mentors—she uses IBM’s On Demand Community to help spread the word, the company’s global community that links the skills of over 200,000 IBM employee and retiree volunteers with access to IBM technology and training.

Student entrepreneurs “profit,” as do advisors

In 2008, Kin-Mei’s team was one of two Canadian Venture Program companies selected as “company of the year.” She recalls that “on that day, to see the kids on stage being awarded for their hard work was just amazing.” An IBM Community Grant supported their effort by sending the team to the national competition in Boston, where the students’ business skills were further sharpened presenting their business plan and results to panels of judges.

Another highlight of her JA experience was learning one of her former students had been given a full scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. “It is unbelievable that you’ve interacted with brilliant minds at such a young age,” says Kin-Mei. “And then to see how far they go, it’s the reason why I keep coming back. It’s the interactions with the students that are really a motivator, it’s just exciting.”

Commenting on her impact, Ryan Shaw, a senior account manager at Junior Achievement of Central Ontario, says that Kin-Mei “is one of our most valued, positive and hard working volunteers.”

This year Kin-Mei and her partner advisors—Ben Kane, Ryan Lausman, and Andre Vittorio (Your Markham IT Support Specialist) —were named JA’s “Advisory Team of the Year” for the Venture Program in Central Ontario. One of the student entrepreneurs wrote that “the greatest thing about this mentor team is how well its members work together. I often boast to friends at other JA companies about how amazing my advisors are, and that no one deserves this award more than this group of outstanding mentors.”

“I believe we’re playing a role preparing our future leaders in Canada,” says Kin-Mei. “Every year, I challenge myself to change the delivery of the program to give it even greater impact and attract more students.”

More mentors and volunteers are also welcomed for the Venture Program, and Kin-Mei suggests that “even if you’re only remotely interested, just come to a session, and watch. From the outside looking in, you have a presumption of what it involves or what you think you will feel, but when you’re actually involved and you see the value that you give, the reward is ten times over.”

Kin-Mei (second from right) and some of the students from the Venture Program.

IBM is marking its centennial year with a worldwide celebration of volunteer service. Throughout 2011, IBM invites everyone to join our global community of employees, retirees, families and friends as we support the communities where we work, live and learn together.

If you think iPads are just for leisure or for entertainment, think again. With nearly 86 percent of Fortune 500 companies in the US report deploying or testing the iPad, this revolutionary device has become a tool for business too!

Manufactured by Apple, these easy to hold, easy to transport, and easy to use devices use the same operating system as iPod Touch and iPhone. They do not use input devices like the mouse or keyboard and require you to use your fingers to touch and navigate. Thanks to the availability of hundreds and thousands of applications that range from entertainment, media and education to even productivity and business, the iPad can be used as one powerful device in all areas of life and your workplace is definitely no exception.

Here are reasons why you should bring your iPad to work:

Presentations: Presentations are made so much easier by iPads. First off, they are portable and secondly, they contain applications that allow you to import and edit PowerPoint presentations, and even accessories to connect the device to a monitor or projector. You can also do virtual presentations as there are iPad apps that let you stream your presentation via the Internet.

Communication and Collaboration: If it is communication and collaboration you want, the iPad is the name of the game. With the iPad, you get built-in applications for emailing and you also get to add more to support audio and video conferencing. You can manage meetings with the built-in calendar and address book apps and also use the built-in support it has for third-party mail and calendar applications like Microsoft Exchange, Google Mail, and Calendar. If you want, you may also download and use additional applications to help you manage your tasks, monitor projects, share files, post and view your social networks! And the iPad’s larger screen is definitely a plus!

Field assignments: The iPad is the best device for people on the go as it is light weight and portable. You can install and configure VPN clients to securely connect to your office network when in the field, or even use any of the business applications (mainly cloud based ones) you use in the office. Managing your itinerary while on assignment also becomes much easier with the iPad, thanks to the built-in productivity tools.

Travel: With the iPad, you can carry your whole world as you travel. Besides the apps that help you manage your travel itinerary, there are built-in communication and collaboration tools that let you touch base with your office and find out what progress is being made. When you are not using your iPad for work, you can use it as a media viewer or news reader for information and entertainment.

Industry-specific apps: There are many industry specific apps that let you use the iPad for various purposes. You can use it as a point-of-sale display, or even as a point-of-sale device and much more!

Are you looking for quality Markham IT consulting for your business?  Give us a call and we can help you with all of your business IT support in Markham and the GTA. We provide full IT services for your office systems and Apple computers.

Ottawa Rogers customers have been enjoying super fast downloads for a while, finally it is our turn in the GTA.

Starting on September 28, Torontonians will have access to the Rogers LTE network. At launch, the Rogers LTE Rocket™ stick will be available so that you can plug into your laptop to access top speeds. Today, LTE devices are capable of maximum theoretical download speeds of up to 75 Mbps and Ottawa LTE customers are experiencing typical download speeds ranging from 12 Mbps to 25 Mbps. Later this year, Rogers will offer an LTE device will be capable of maximum theoretical download speeds of up to 100 Mbps. As device selection evolves, maximum theoretical download speeds on the Rogers network will increase to up to 150 Mbps.

And new LTE devices are coming to Rogers soon. Later this fall, more LTE devices will be available such as: the Samsung Galaxy S II LTE Smartphone; the LTE Rocket™ mobile hotspot (Sierra Wireless AirCard® 754S); Rogers LTE RocketTM stick (now available in Ottawa); LTE Tablet from a leading manufacturer; and the previously announced HTC Smartphone. More details about these devices will be available closer to launch.

Starting today, Rogers customers in Toronto and Ottawa can register for their LTE wireless devices through the new Rogers Reservation System at www.rogers.com/lte.

You can check out all the details on RedBoard.

We are looking forward to experiencing these super fast speeds from Rogers later in September.  Idealogical is your Toronto and Markham IT support firm.  Contact us today for any of your business related technology needs.  We are here to serve you.  We are specialists in many areas of IT for Toronto business.  One of our focus areas is around the mobility space.  Have questions on the different plans offered by Rogers, Telus or BELL?  Give us a call and speak with us.

Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, Inc., has had a widely successful career. It wasn’t without its ups and downs as he actually was let go from the Macintosh division of Apple in 1985. From the development of the Apple I computer in 1976 on through to the Apple II and the Lisa and Macintosh, Mr. Jobs was inspired to make computers during the time he was with Apple prior to his leaving.

The road made a turn for the good in 1996 when Jobs was invited back to the company he had originally co-founded and things continued on an upward curve towards the better. Successful products that made Steve Jobs the well-known man that he is marched on from the iMac, iPod, iTunes store, iPhone and iPad — all familiar products that households and businesses all over the world are using on a daily basis.

It was with a heavy heart today that the world heard the news. Steve Jobs announced his resignation from Apple as CEO. While he will remain as chairman of Apple’s board, he will turn the reigns over to its new CEO, Tim Cook. Mr. Cook is no stranger to running the business as he was the chief operating officer for seven years and stepped in during the times that Jobs was forced to take medical leaves due to poor health.

Some are conjecturing that yes, Apple now enters a new era with the resignation with the possibility of the downfall of Apple looming in the future. BUT, I can only imagine that as long as Steve Jobs is able to carry on his duties as chairman, his wisdom and influence will still be a positive force at Apple.

Looking for Apple support in the GTA. Idealogical can help you with all your business Apple support across Toronto. Give us a shout today.